All About Me - Andy Zhao

Hello! My name is Andy and I’m really into tennis. I am 11 years old and I have started to seriously train to improve my tennis skills since I was 10. I am currently competing in national tennis competitions and I’m ranked around 100 in the Thai national rankings.

Why I Started to Play Tennis

I love my family very much. They are very supportive in everything I do, especially tennis. In fact I started to play the sport with my dad’s input. He wanted me to play tennis because of how skinny I was - He thought I’d become more hungry and eat, eat, and eat! At first I didn’t want to train to play tennis because I was into football at the time, but after my first training session, I felt like it was my sport to play.

I have many players I idolise, but here are my TOP 5 favourite players:

Carlos Alcaraz: I really enjoy watching Alcaraz play because he is a rising star; I want to see him on his journey to become one of the greatest players. I also have a dream that one day I may beat him in a match. Carlos Alcaraz is my favourite player!

Roger Federer: I love Roger Federer for his sportsmanship on and off the court. He is often called the king of tennis because of how he walks, his position and most importantly his respect for other players.

Rafael Nadal: I like Rafa because of his warrior-like attitude on the court. Many players said that when they have seen Rafa on the court, they felt a menacing aura and felt scared. Despite this, off the court, Rafa is allegedly as sweet as sugar.

Andre Agassi: Did you know that Agassi hated school? He was forced to train to improve in tennis, and he was also yelled at a lot by his father. Now, Andre is a pro-tennis player, despite having always had a dark hatred for tennis deep inside his heart, Why? Because he didn’t choose, but rather he was forced to turn pro.I love Andre for his kind and good heart towards helping others, in his book he said he found joy in helping others. Agassi owns a school helping poor and uneducated children and has changed many of their young lives! I admire this kindness and I would like to help this world too!

Novak Djokovic: Djokovic is a player loved by many people, including me. I admire and love his footwork along with his flexibility. He moves swiftly across the court and is able to reach every ball thanks to his acrobatic-like ability. It is always exciting to watch him play and he is one of the most loved players!

My Tennis Goals - I have many, many goals. One of my current goals is to improve my backhand. This is because I sometimes miss the balls, perhaps because my backhand is one-handed.. I also want to improve my volley and make it really dangerous! A big goal is to be number 1 in the world and win Wimbledon and many other grand slams. If I achieved this I would buy my tennis coach a lamborghini.I work hard and train three hours everyday in order to reach this goal. I mentioned before that I wanted to play Alcaraz, my actual goal is to beat the rising star in the future. I have been watching videos of Alcaraz for a long time and I’m learning his ways. I know that I will also have to work hard to succeed in this.

Off the Court

Off the court, I like to watch movies. I have many favourites such as Interstellar. I enjoyed this movie because it has a deeper meaning to it. it also is a very sad and heart touching movie, I think once a person understands the movie, it will inevitably become their favourite. I also like to go to different and fun places in Thailand, such as going to Pattaya, going to a waterpark, and much more! Another hobby is going jet skiing in the ocean, especially in the morning because the waves are smooth and the sun rises beautifully.

Why I’ve Created a Website

One of the reasons for creating this website is because I want people to work hard and try hard. I have noticed that many young people play video games a lot. I’m not against this in moderation. It is good for creativity, but, unfortunately, it also encourages young people to become couch potatoes. I want to encourage people to actively live their lives - the main reason is because it is fun! There’s a serious side to this too - working hard now develops the skills that lead to a great future.

Join Me on this Journey

I believe that tennis is more than a sport. I believe that behind this sport, there is work, discipline and a need to be better than other players in tennis. Another thing that makes this sport more interesting is the long history and journey since the 1870’s till now. Tennis is different from other sports such as boxing, rugby, soccer, football and many other sports. The reason is simple: while you play this sport, there is no body contact at all, everything you do, you have to face the consequences. On the court, you are alone. Join me on this journey and be a part of this awesome adventure!